- By Dan Veaner
- News
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The Facilities Committee went through a shopping list of items that address deterioration of current facilities, environmental quality and safety. Each item was rated for its impact and cost. When the process was completed 10 items worth $10 million were in the High Impact/High Cost category. These items will be revisited as the scope of the project is refined.
Another $2.5 million worth of items fell into the Low Impact/High Cost category, meaning they are unlikely to be part of the project in its final form. Items that are High Impact/Low Cost are likely to be included, though the committee agreed that some of these should just be taken care of in the general budget as maintenance.
Superintendent Mark Lewis made a plea to the committee to consider how best to relocate the district office, saying that the current building has many problems. "In winter it's a challenge to get the heat above 62 degrees," he said, noting that with gaps in the insulation around the window air conditioner in his office it literally snows on his desk. As important is the lack of sound proofing in an office where confidential meetings take place with parents, teachers and others. Lewis also noted that there is no space to confer with the staff. He said a plan to move the office into four classrooms in the Elementary School is the most promising one.
But committee members were reluctant to spend money on administrative offices that could be used for instructional space. Some argued that an estimate for a new stand-alone building was four times higher than it should be until the design team explained that Wicks Law, which requires at least four union contractors, actually does raise costs that much. After heated discussion, the committee did not address the district office problem.
Others were concerned that Lansing's proposed sewer project will reverse declining enrollment projections. Former Superintendent Ray Buckley said that classroom space should not be taken unless the district is confident that it will not be needed for ten years. Others raised the possibility of the 5th grade moving to the Elementary School. "The 5th grade move is off the table," Lewis replied, saying that after conferring with administrators and the fifth grade team he is convinced that it should remain in the Middle School.
Lewis reminded the committee that it is outside the scope of its mission to set programs, but rather that it is to come up with alternatives for serving educational programs set by the administration and principals. High School Principal Michelle Stone noted that it is her job to set programs with her staff, and then to figure out how to conduct them based on the facilities the committee provides. Committee members argued that the community must be involved in setting programs in order to contain costs and set priorities. Lewis noted that other committees have that charge, and agreed with Dan Konowalow's statement that Board of Education are where community members have a chance to influence programs.
By the end of the evening both committees had made progress. Of more than 200 items on the Facilities Committee's list, 82 fell into categories that the committee identified as being important to the community in their last meeting. Those items were rated as to impact and cost. The Facility Committee had an action plan for getting a survey completed and alerting the public about it.
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